I Tend to Drabble
by Rebekah Caren
Summary: Don't like? Don't I'm exploring, Branching Also, I'm pretty sure there was something between At one Various points in the life of Blarghargh, all sorts of
1. Deez Nups

**I was trying to write Lassiet. This came out. I don't know what to think of it. I start my sophomore year of high school in six hours. I'm so tired that I'm not even nervous. I'm thinking about skipping first and second block, actually. I won't. But I'm thinking.**

**Disclaimer and whatnot:**

**Have you seen the stuff I write? I obviously don't own ****_Psych_****.**

* * *

"Dance with me?" he asked, holding his hand out to me. I shook my head, pulling my shawl closer to me.

"I don't dance, Henry," I said. He frowned.

"Really, cause I remember your dancing being pretty, what's the word? Well, since there are people around I'll say nice," he said, raising an eyebrow. I took a sip of my wine to try and cool the red hot blush creeping into my cheeks.

"That's was in 1996, and I remember both of us being a little more than half drunk," I said, setting my glass on the table. Henry took my hand and pulled me to my feet.

"Just one dance, Karen. You can't sit here and be miserable all night. At least come be miserable with me," he said. I sighed in consent, and he pulled me to the dance floor. Carlton and Marlowe were twirling around, even though a fast song was playing. Henry was actually a decent dancer.

We danced several songs before stoping for a drink. Two vodkas on the rocks, one with a twist. When we got back on the floor, a slow song started. I turned to Henry, but Juliet had his attention, with a tear streaked face. He glanced back at me, but took her onto the floor. Well.

_Don't be stupid, Karen. It's not like_ he_ was only going to dance with _you_._

Yeah, Vick, but I thought…

_Well, you _thought_ wrong. It's not 1996, honey. Go sit down._

I obeyed the 'Vick' part of my brain. I was about to sit when Guster appeared next to me, asking to dance. I shrugged and took his hand. We stood apart, swaying in slow circles. The song started to fade out, and Henry appeared with a now smiling (and obviously drunk) Juliet. She hugged him, and went to Carlton.

"Mind if I steal her from you, Gus?" he asked, taking my hand as another slow song started.

"Go ahead, Mr. Spencer. I've got a phone call to make," Gus smiled at me before pulling out his phone and walking up the stair case. Henry tugged me toward him, but I stopped.

"What's wrong with Juliet?" I asked. He shook his head.

"She won't say, but I've got all my money on my block-head son," he said, and I started toward her. He pulled me back. "You can't take care of everyone, Karen."

"I promise you, Henry, we will dance. But I've got children to take care of first. See if you can steal Marlowe," I said. He held me tight.

"Dance with me now," he said, and I gave in.

Etta James echoed over the silent floor, couples turning. Juliet was dancing with one of Marlowe's cousins. Carlton was whispering something to Marlowe, which made his own ears turn red.

Henry turned me slowly, and I came back and slid my arms over his shoulders. His arms went around my waist, pulling me closely to him.

"Well, isn't this familiar?" he said, spinning us. I smiled.

"Yes, except I think it was an Eric Clapton song before," I said, playing with his collar. He shrugged.

"I can fix that," he said, nodding at the deejay. He nodded back, and Etta James slowly faded into Eric Clapton.

"Oh, Henry," I said, laying my head on his chest. He twirled us slowly, keeping to the rhythm. My fingers went to the nape of his neck, where I began drawing shapes and letters.

"Square, hexagon, H, K," he whispered, nailing each one.

"Amazing," I whispered back.

"You are," he said. I blushed, and kissed his cheek. We kept swaying.

"You look beautiful, Karen," he said, hands inching down my back.

"You're not so bad yourself, handsome," I said. And couldn't take it anymore. He twirled us away from prying eyes and I pulled him down to kiss me. His lips were the same as they had been seventeen years before. He walked us outside, me clinging to him desperately.

The walk to the elevator was torturous. The ride in the elevator was just as bad. Then there was the sprint down the hall and fumbling for the room key.

But now we were on his bed. I straddled him and tugged off his suit jacket, along with the damned tie. I unbuttoned his shirt, raking my fingers through his chest hair. He kicked off his shoes and toed his socks off. I yanked his shirt off, meeting his hot mouth with mine. His tongue slid past my parted lips and danced with mine. I worked his belt open, leaving him to take care of his pants. I clambered off of his lap, taking him in. I pulled my dress over my head.

"_Damn_, Karen," he breathed. "No panties, no bra?" I shrugged.

"This was kinda the plan for the night," I said, straddling him again. "Now, why don't you take care of your underwear, and I'll take care of your other problem?"

"This was your plan?" he moaned, sucking on my neck. I nodded. "If you'd have told me, we would have skipped the damn reception. Maybe even the wedding."

"And if I had told you last night?" I asked, helping him tug his shorts off. I gripped his shoulders, and positioned him to me.

"I would have taken you home," he said, kissing me. I smiled.

"Take me home now," I said. And he did.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure what happened here. I guess what's done is done. I refuse to be sorry for anything. Except for things that I need to be sorry for. Wanna make my week? Reviews are lovely. Hint hint.**


	2. Late Night Favor

**Hmm… eight hours of sleep or write another oneshot… I thinks it's obvious what I picked. I'm not ashamed. Well, only a little.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Psych, I would be shouting on the roof top right now. So, I don't own it. Never will. I wish, though.**

* * *

"Henry, I need a favor," she said, irritation leaking into her voice, crackling over the phone line. He smiled and nestled the receiver between his ear and shoulder, continuing to chop the peaches for his cobbler.

"Oh, do you now?" he asked, already putting the peaches in a Tupperware bowl for the refrigerator.

"Yes. I know it's late, but I reeeaaalllly need you over here," she said, more irritated than before. He chuckled to himself. "Don't laugh at me, Spencer. You know it's been a tough week." It had been. The station had been abuzz in the aftermath of Yin (even if they hadn't caught the bastard), especially with Psych, mostly the "psychic", busting in at odd times to see if Juliet was back at work.

She wasn't. Carlton was loaded down with cases, temporarily partnered with McNab.

Henry nodded before remembering she couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I know," he spoke finally. "I'll be there in twenty. Want me to bring anything?"

"No, just you. And hurry. But be careful. Oh, and if you have any peaches," she said. He grinned.

"I just so happen to. I'll be there in a minute, sweetheart," he said.

"Be careful, Henry. The roads are wet," she said in her stern voice, reserved for work and telling him to be careful.

"I always am. See you in a minute, Karen," he said.

"In a minute," she agreed. He put the phone down and snagged his keys, along with the peaches, and bolted out the door.

* * *

"Thank God, you're here!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck as soon as he was in the door. He shouldered it closed, pulling her tightly to him. She kissed his jaw before scrambling out of his arms and pulling him through the kitchen, where he sat the peaches.

"C'mon, Henry," she said agitatedly, tugging him towards the staircase.

"What's the rush, Karen?" he asked, pausing to kiss her. She had a slightly crazy look in her eyes.

"She refuses to go to bed," Karen said, herding him up the stairs.

"Who?" he asked. She gave him a 'Duh' look.

"Iris! She got me up at four this morning, and will not go to bed," she pushed him toward the bright pink door.

"And what makes you think I can do anything about it?" he asked.

"She has been asking, pleading, bargaining, ransoming for you," Karen said, twisting the door knob. "That four year old has a promising career in hostage negotiation."

He sighed, dropping her hand. Henry strode into Iris' bedroom, determined.

"Hey, kiddo," he said, leaning against her white dresser. She shot up from her beanbag chair and launched herself at him.

"Henwy!" she exclaimed, latching on to his neck when he picked her up.

"How's my favorite girl doing?" he asked. Iris grinned.

"Good! Today me and Jason finger painted and he let me do the whole thing!" she chattered excitedly. Henry smiled.

"I bet that was fun. But I heard you were giving your mommy a hard time," he said, putting her on his hip.

"I wanted you to read me a stowy," she said, frowning a little. He laid her on her bed, and sat beside her.

"What story do you wanna hear, princess?" he asked. She looked thoughtful for a second.

"Pineapplehead and the Three Cops," she said. Karen laughed from the door way.

"Is it okay if I sit in on story time, Iris?" Karen asked, moving into the room. Iris nodded. Karen sat on her other side, arm draped over her shoulder.

"Alright, now that everyone is situated… Once there was a dummy who had a name, but everybody just called him Pineapplehead. One day, Pineapple was messing around in the police station. You see, there are three cops that pretty much run the place. You've got the Chief, the Head Detective, and the Junior Detective. Well, Pineapplehead liked to mess with their stuff, so when they weren't around, he took the Chief's notepad, the Head Detective's red pen, and the Junior Detective's computer mouse," Henrt said, pausing when he saw Karen's face. "What?"

"This is nothing like Goldielocks," she said, tracing his shoulder. He shrugged.

"Shhh, Mommy, this is my favorite part," Iris insisted, and Karen fell silent.

"Anyway, the Chief went looking for her notepad the same time the Head and Junior Detectives went looking for their stuff. They knew it was Pineapplehead, and the found him looking through case files, the idiot. So they put Pineappled head in jail, and he never bothered anyone again. The End," he said, standing up from the bed. "Now go to sleep for your mom, kiddo."

Iris snuggled down into her blankets, but reached her arms out to Henry. He knelt down and hugged her. She kissed his cheek.

"Good night, Henwy," she said. Karen kissed her daughter and said good night.

"Maybe I'll see you sometime soon, princess," he said, and the little girl nodded. She was asleep before they shut the door.

Karen collapsed into Henry's chest.

"Thank you soooooo much, Henry," she said, kissing his cheek.

"It not a big deal, Karen," he said, kissing her briefly.

"Yes it is. I owe you one," she said. He smiled.

"I better head home," he said, heading toward the stair case. She put her hand against his chest.

"No, no, you're staying here, Mister," she said. He smiled.

"The peaches?" he asked. She smiled coyly.

"I wouldn't have you drive thirty miles in the middle of the night for nothing."

"I'll go get them," he said. She shook her head.

"They're already in my bedroom."

"Race you?"

"You bet your ass."


	3. Oklahoma Infested Wedding

"Calm down, Henry," Karen said, touching his arm. His firm grip on the steering wheel loosened, some color coming back in his knuckles. He continued staring down the road, but put one hand on her knee. She patted his hand, and they lapsed back into silence.

"I guess I'm scared," he said finally. She frowned slightly.

"Of what?" she asked.

"Meeting your family," he said, reaching to turn the radio on. She swatted his hand away from the console.

"Why?" she demanded. He rolled his eyes.

"Because I'm old enough to be your father, mostly. And I've never even met your father," he said, honking impatiently at the traffic ahead of them.

"Stop honking. You're only twelve years older than me, Henry. And you've met my dad. Briefly," she said.

"Karen. I know people stare at you at work," he said.

"So?" she shrugged. "It doesn't matter what the hell they think. Same goes for my family. Know why?"

"Why?" he asked, already knowing her answer. She held her left hand up to where he could look at it and the road.

"Because of that," she said, pointing at the thin, twisted golden band on her ring finger. "Because we both have one. You know what they mean?" He nodded, but she continued, anyway.

"It means that in all of your little insecurities, all of my quirks, and both of our problems, we are stuck, buddy. Hopefully forever." He brought her hand to his lips.

"I love you, Karen," he said. She leaned as far as her seatbelt would let her and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, too, Henry. Now, let's get through this damned traffic and to my cousin's wedding," she said. He cut off onto a side road, promising a short cut.

"Why do we have to go, anyway?" he asked. She sighed.

"Because even though I don't think she's old enough to get married, I'm a bridesmaid. Which means you are my plus one," she said. He smiled.

"What does being a plus one entail?" he asked. She tapped her chin.

"Well, there's the kissing, and the dancing, and the drink control. Then there's awkward conversations with the Oklahoma cousins. And most importantly," she said, fixing her smudged eyeliner, "at the end of the night, you have to get me out of this hideous dress."

"It's not that bad," he promised. She gave him an incredulous look. "You make it look good." She kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, baby. This is the turn," she pointed out the driver side window. He flicked the blinker on and pulled into the nearly full parking lot.

"Damn, how many cousins are there in Oklahoma?"

"Like, over nine thousand," she laughed. Henry found a decent parking spot, and came around to open the door for her.

"Such a gentleman," she said, taking his hand. He squeezed her hand.

"It's a curse and a blessing, one which was not passed on to Shawn," he joked. Karen laughed again. The went into the building and Henry's hand tightened around hers. She squeezed back reassuringly and stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. He made a few jokes and she smiled and laughed until they made their way to where her parents sat.

"Hey, Momma. Daddy," she said, bending to kiss them both. "You remember Henry." Henry nodded.

"Of course we do, sweetie. Hello, Henry," her mother said, pulling him down and kissing his cheek.

"Mrs. Dunlap," he said. He turned to Karen's father. "Hello, Mr. Dunlap." He shook his hand.

"Ah, yes, Henry. You're my little Kare-Bear's boyfriend, correct?" he asked, dropping his hand. Henry opened his mouth, but Karen beat him to it.

"No, Daddy, we're married. You were there," she said.

"Of course I remember, Kare-Bear," he said. Henry saw her flinch slightly at the pet name. "How is Iris? Is she here?"

"No, Richard has her this weekend. They're at a waterpark right now," Karen said, taking Henry's hand. "Henry's going to sit with you and Momma, okay? Please be nice." Her father nodded. Karen stood on her toes and kissed Henry briefly.

"Play nice, baby," she whispered. He nodded. "I'll see you in a bit." She ran off towards the bride's room, muttering about how Hell would freeze over before she let that girl wear her hair up. Henry sat down awkwardly beside Karen's father.

"So, remind me how long you and Karen have been dating?" he said. Henry forced a smile.

"We've been married for about six months, sir."

"Ah, and how are you treating her and Iris?"

"Like a goddess and a princess."

"Good. They both deserve better."

"I completely agree," Henry said, then the whole room got quiet. Karen's mother hushed them both. Bridesmaids and groomsmen started filing in. Karen caught his eye and blew a kiss at him. He pretended to rub it on his cheek. She rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

"Look, I'm just saying you shouldn't have been up there," Henry said, swaying with Karen's head on his chest.

"Why's that?" she asked, eyes already drooping. He kissed her head.

"Because its some kinda rule that you're not supposed to look more beautiful than the bride," he said, turning them in another circle. She looked up at him briefly before shaking her head.

"Did you play nice with my dad?" she asked. He shrugged.

"We made small talk," he answered. She nodded.

"I love you, Henry," she said. He kissed her head again.

"I love you, more, Karen," he said. He saw two girls waving them over. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Too much, why?"

"I think some Oklahoma cousins want to talk about us in our presence."

"Fan-damn-tastic. Lets not disappoint them. They drove twenty-three hours for it."

They did want to talk. About them.

"So, how long?" one of the girls asked. Karen smiled.

"Six months," she said, snaking her hand into his.

"Wow. How is Iris taking the divorce?" the third one asked. Karen and Henry both gritted their teeth.

"Richard and I have been divorced for three years. I am ninety-seven percent sure that Iris is okay with it. She loves Henry and visa versa," Karen said again. He squeezed her hand. Ease up, sweetheart, he said mentally. She seemed to get the gist.

"We should probably go, sweetheart. We promised the sitter we'd be home by ten," he said, gently pulling away from the crowd. "Nice meeting you."

"Henry Spencer, king of lies and plus ones," she drawled, leaning heavily on him. He steered them towards her parents.

"C'mon, babe, let's tell your parents good bye and then get you home, okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"Are you good to drive?" her words ran slightly together. He smiled.

"Yeah, I haven't had a drink. Oh, look, your parents," he said. She hugged them both, promising to bring Iris soon. Henry kissed his mother-in-law, and shook his father-in-law's hand.

"You be good to her, son," he said. Henry nodded.

"You bet your ass, sir."

* * *

Karen was entertaining on the ride home. After three choruses of "We Didn't Start the Fire", a verse of "Man Eater", and the entirety of "Come On Eileen", she moved onto Phil Collins.

"We've got a groovy kinda love, don't we, Henry?" she said, pausing from her mash up of "Against All Odds" and "Groovy Kind of Love".

"Yeah, sweetheart. We do. We're also sitting in the driveway, so why don't you unbuckle?" he smiled as she fumbled around her seat belt. He got out and around to her door fast enough to stop her from falling out. He half carried her into the house, and did carry her up the stairs.

Once in their bedroom, Karen's shoes went flying off, along with her pantyhose. He unzipped her dress, and that flew in the general direction of the shoes.

"I'm taking one of your shirts," she announced, pulling one of his gray shirts over her naked body. She flounced into bed, sitting on top of the covers waiting for him.

He stripped quickly and pulled on a pair of sweat pants, climbing into the bed beside her. She wriggled under the comforter and burrowed against his body.

"I'm gonna be super hungover in the morning, Henry," she said with a yawn. He had to grin.

"Yeah, you probably will be," he agreed. She laid her head on his shoulder and fingered through his chest hair.

"Oh well. Thank you for being my plus one, baby," she said, kissing his jaw. He tilted her chin up to meet his and kissed her softly.

"That's what I'm here for. In sickness and health and Oklahoma infested weddings," he said. She smiled.

"Good night, Henry. I love you," she said, sliding a thigh over his and closing her eyes.

"I love you, too, Karen," he said. She smiled one more time. He watched her well after she was asleep, gears turning, trying to figure out how he had snagged her. He just chalked it up to pure luck (as he did most nights) and drifted off beside her.


	4. Whoops

"Don't ever do this to me again," she said, carefully laying her head on his chest. He put his hand without the IV against her hair.

"Do what? Get shot? 'Cause I promise that was an accident, sweetheart," he said. She shook her head.

"I know. It's just… You scared the hell out of me, Henry Spencer." He pressed his lips to her hair.

"I'm sorry. I'll try my best not to get shot again."

"I'd really appreciate it," she said, sitting up. She leaned forward and kissed him gently. His tube-free hand found purchase in her hair and, seconds later, his heart monitor started beeping erratically. She pulled back, grinning.

"Are you a little excited there, sweetheart?"

He growled at her.

"Calm down, Henry. Rest. I should probably go, anyway. Shawn or someone from the station could come by to see you." She stood to leave, but he caught her arm.

"If you're not going to stay the night, can you at least be the one to take me home?" he asked. She dipped down and kissed his head.

"Sure, baby," she said. He moved his lips up to meet hers. She leaned heavily against the bed rails. His hand slid over her ass, and the door knob turned. She jumped away, straightening herself in one fluid motion. Shawn Spencer walked through the door.

"Hey, dad, how you doin'? And Chief, nice to see you," he said, moving to occupy the chair Karen had vacated.

"I'm fine, Shawn. Any news on when they're gonna let me go home? I've been here three days. I'm ready to go the hell home," Henry asked, glancing up at Karen. She lingered at the foot of his bed.

"They said you can go home Wednesday. Is two more days too long, pop?" Shawn shot back. The bickering broke out.

Karen caught Henry's eye and blew him a kiss. He winked. She turned on her heel and left the room.

"See?! You even ran Chief off!"

-.-.-.-.-

.-.-.-.-.

"I told Shawn you offered to bring me home," Henry said. Karen looked up, noodles hanging between her mouth and chopsticks. "That's attractive." She ate her noodles quickly.

"What did he say?" she asked, putting her chopsticks down. He put his spoon back into his mashed potatoes.

"He said okay. But, apparently, Maddie is flying down for a conference, and he already told her," he said. Karen shifted her feet under herself.

"So, naturally, she wants to take care of you," she said, picking her noodles back up. He sighed.

"I'm not going to let her, Karen," he said. "I don't need anyone to take care of me."

"You do need someone to take care of you. Because I went by your house today to get you some clothes for tomorrow, and you don't have any food," she said.

"I've got food," he said, digging into his meatloaf.

"Henry. I found a blue half eaten corn dog in the freezer."

"Believe it or not, that was Shawn."

"I'm gonna go with 'not'."

Henry grumbled into his meatloaf. Karen smiled.

"I'm gonna be here ASAP in the morning to get you, okay? Before her flight lands if I can swing it," she said, digging back into her noodles.

"Why is it again that I can't have Chinese?" he asked, pushing his hospital tray away.

"Because the doctor said so, and these are mine," she said. "Now shut up and eat your peaches."

"It's not just peaches. There are some pears in there…" he said, dropping off as she started laughing.

"Okay, sweetie. Shut up and eat your assorted fruit, then," she said. She stood up and kissed him briefly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow. Be careful," he said. She opened the door.

"I always am."

-.-.-.-.-

.-.-.-.-.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you from the hospital," she murmured, kissing where his ear met his jaw.

"It's okay, Karen," he said. She settled into his shoulder.

"Has Maddie said how long she's staying?" she asked quietly. He shook his head.

"No, she hasn't. She's only been here long enough to insist on taking care of me, clean my freezer out, and wait until you got here to go shopping," he said, put off.

"At least she took Shawn," Karen chimed in, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah… She should only be here a few days, though," he said. Karen nodded.

"Iris wants to come see you," she said. He grinned.

"When are you bringing her?" he asked.

"This weekend is her father's, so I thought I would bring her before I took her over there," she said.

"That would be fantastic," he said, kissing her head. She opened her mouth, but the front door banged open.

"We're back!" Shawn's voice cried out. Karen hastily extracted herself from Henry's arms, kissing him chastely before going into the kitchen to help with groceries.

-.-.-.-.-

.-.-.-.-.

"It's just me and you, you know," Karen said conversationally. Henry looked up from his crossword.

"Are we now?" he asked, folding the newspaper. She nodded. "Hmmm…"

She launched herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her into him. She kissed him feverishly.

"Upstairs," she whispered, pulling him up. They ran up the stairs, letting his bedroom door slam behind them. He pulled her blouse off and pulled her slacks and panties down. She fell back on the bed, working his belt and pants off.

"Henry," she breathed, pulling him on top of her. "I want you so bad."

"One second," he whispered. He rolled off of her, stripping his boxers off. He moved back onto her, fitting himself into her velvety heat.

"Henry!" she hissed, clenching around him. He moved slowly, deliberately torturing her. He kissed her softly.

"Karen," he groaned. Their moans grew louder.

"Henry. Henry. Henry!" she bit into his shoulder. That's when the door slammed open.

"Dad!" Shawn yelled, quickly closing the door.

"God dammit!" Henry growled. Karen's face was a mask of horror.

"Oh, God…" she said, sliding out from under him. She pulled her clothes on, quickly. "I'm so sorry, Henry."

"We aren't doing anything wrong. We're grown ass adults," he growled.

"I'm gonna go," she said, kissing him. He grabbed her wrist.

"No. Stay here," he requested, pulling his clothes on. "I'll be back in a minute."

-.-.-.-.-

.-.-.-.-.

"Chief, Dad? Really?" Shawn asked. Henry groaned. "How long has this been going on?"

"A while," he answered. Shawn sat up.

"Wow," he said. "Well, I'm just gonna go burn my corneas. Have fun." He stood up and walked out of the open door.

"Be careful," Henry called after him. He nodded.

"You too, Dad," he said before disappearing. Henry clambered down the hall toward his bedroom, where Karen sat on his bed, fingernails tapping against the spread.

"And?" she asked. He kissed her and pinned her against the bed, listening to her hitching breaths.

"He'll be okay. He's a big boy, and I doubt he'd let it out. Now, where were we?"


	5. Advice

**Meh heh. I am a slacka punk looza. Feel free to throw gummy bears at me until I die. Anywhore, another chapter because I can see how many of you have read this. And I'm a bit bored.**

**If I owned Psych, it would be terrible. My stories prove as much.**

* * *

"Shawn, this is your fault," Henry said plainly, cutting a piece of his steak.

"No, no, no, Dad! This is not my fault. It's her's," the younger Spencer exclaimed. He slammed the refrigerator door.

"You won't tell her how you feel, Shawn. She actually has a life to get on with," Henry put his knife and fork down. He examined his son's twitching fingers, indicating how ready he was to punch something. "Close your eyes."

"Ugh, no, Dad," Shawn complained, flopping into the chair beside his father.

"Do it."

"Fine." Shawn closed his eyes.

"Okay, what were her exact words?" Henry asked.

"No, thanks. James and I are having dinner," Shawn said in his impersonation of Juliet.

"Who the hell is James?"

"One if those guys she got matched up with last week for the speed date thingy."

"James?" Henry asked. Shawn raised his hands.

"That's what I said!" he exclaimed. Henry shook his head.

"Anyway, try and remember her face."

"A face as pretty as her's is hard to forget, Dad."

"Save that for when you inevitably ruin her night. Now, was she smiling?"

Shawn shrugged.

"She was. It was kinda that cute little grin she does."

"And what does that usually mean?"

A long pause. Henry resumed with his steak.

"She's happy."

"Eyes closed 'til I say. Did she keep glancing at her phone?"

Shawn's eyes squinted. His fingers slowly crept to his head.

"Don't even think about it, kid." Shawn's hands fell back to the table.

"Yes; she kept looking at it. She blushed when it vibrated. Great, they're in love."

Henry sighed.

"I highly doubt that, Shawn. Use a little bit of sense in this."

"No, Dad, they're in love and I know it and I should have done something about her and me a long time ago," Shawn said, motioning to his head.

"Shawn. They aren't in love. Try harder."

Shawn rubbed his temple.

"Hmmm..." He kept his position, not moving a mere centimeter. Henry tried for another piece of his steak. Shawn's eyes flew open. "I have to tell her. This could be it, Dad."

"Shawn, wait," Henry requested as his son stood abruptly.

"Dad, I don't want any old, cliched advice," he said, picking his helmet up.

"Just once, son, let me give you my crappy advice." Shawn walked out of the kitchen door.

"If you love her, let her go," Henry called after him. Shawn turned around as he got on his motorcycle.

"Yeah? How's that working for mom and you, Pop?" he asked before taking off.

Henry threw his steak away.

...

...

...

"If I have to tell you one more damn time to get the hell out of my station, so help me God, Shawn Spencer, I will kick your ass to Timbuktu. She is at lunch. I do not know where she is. If you ask me again, well, I'll just say I've found some pretty nifty dumping grounds over the years." Karen was mad. Even Shawn could see that. He fled her office, daring to poke his head in once more.

"I'm sorry he flaked again, Chief," Shawn said, shutting the door in just enough time to narrowly miss the paperweight.

Karen hung her head. How the hell did he do that? She knew he wasn't psychic, but... damn, if he wasn't spot on. Her husband cancelled their plans for the night on the pretense of a business dinner.

Business dinners were getting in the way of their plans a lot recently.

At least she had a colicky six month old at home to look forward to.

...

...

...

The day got better. Ish. At around four a call came in about a body in a dumpster outside a strip club. She put Lassiter and O'Hara on it and met them at the scene.

Spencer showed up, but not the Spencer she had been expecting.

"Need some help?" Henry asked, smiling as he stood beside Karen.

"What are you doing here, Henry?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"I was in the neighborhood, saw the cars go by," he dropped off, seeing her unbelieving look. "Fine. I heard it on my police scanner." He earned one of her eye rolls.

"That's more like it," she said. He shrugged.

"Mind if I poke around?"

"Absolutely not! I get enough trouble from your child poking around."

"Please?"

"I shouldn't, Henry. You're a civilian..."

"I also worked a case like this back in '92 with a very eager new detective, a freshly transferred from some little town outside Bakersfield," he said, nudging her arm. She grinned, breaking down.

"It actually is Bakersfield, asshole. Get it right," she said, then sighed. "Fine. A quick look, but then you go." He nodded. She lifted the tape, and they both ducked under it.

...

...

...

"I cannot believe it actually was a copy job. By the victim's son, nonetheless." Karen was sitting with Henry in a Starbucks, delaying going home.

"Yeah, that was a shocker. Changing the subject, got any plans for tonight?" he asked, sipping his coffee.

"Nope; Richard has a business dinner and cancelled our regular dinner," she said. Henry gripped his cup.

"Well, they don't call him 'Dick' for nothing," he said, ignoring her exasperated sigh.

"He's trying his best to get a promotion so we can start Iris a savings account," she said, not really knowing why she was defending him.

"How much do you actually believe that, honey?" he asked, leaning forward. She blinked away the tear threatening her eye and pushed away from the table.

"I should go," she said, standing up. "Thank you for the coffee." He caught her wrist.

"Just hear me out, Karen," he asked. She stopped. "Oil and water only mix for as long as you're willing to shake the bottle."

"Okay?" she said, staring at him. He sighed.

"Aren't you just about tired of shaking the bottle?"

She jerked her hand out of his.

"Aren't you?" she asked, storming out of the shop.

"Maybe I am," he said to himself, throwing his coffee away.

...

...

...

"So, I'm gonna stop getting in her way," Shawn said, voice crackling over the phone.

"That's nice, Shawn," Henry said. Someone giggled in the background. "Very nice, son. Be careful." He hung up and settled back into his couch, watching the James Bond marathon.

Not ten minutes later, his doorbell rang.

He grumbled and got up, ambling to the door.

"Shawn, I've told you a million times, I cannot exchange your pesos. Oh," he found himself looking down into the red rimmed eyes of Karen Vick. Who hugged him.

"I'm tired of shaking the bottle by myself," she said hoarsely. He patted her back and took her into his living room, where she made herself comfortable against his side. She watched two Bond movies intently, never questioning, only opening her mouth for popcorn. Half way through the third she yawned and her head fell onto Henry's chest.

He shook her gently at the end of the third movie.

"Hmm? Oh, what time is it?" she asked.

"A little past one," he said, brushing hair out of her face. "Do you need me to take you home?"

"No. Iris is at her grandma's and Richard text me earlier that he was going to be gone all weekend,"she said, then quietly, "and I was wondering if I could stay here a little bit longer."

He kissed her head.

"You can stay as long as you need," he said. She sighed her appreciation. A few moments passed.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier," she said. "I didn't mean it."

"It's fine, Karen. I should stop trying. Maddie is just the first person I ever loved."

Karen stayed quiet.

"Richard and I haven't done as much as kissed since well before Iris was born," she admitted.

"He must be gay," Henry remarked, laughing when she elbowed his ribs. Silence clouded back over them, a comfortable one, though.

"I'm sorry I'm intruding on your wonderful Friday night," she said, yawning. He rolled his eyes. She snuggled into him.

"Good night," he said. She nodded.

"Good night, Henry. Oh, and I think I'm done," she said. He looked down at her.

"'Done' what?"

"Shaking the bottle."


End file.
